The Children's Book is a 2009 novel by British writer A.S. Byatt. It follows the adventures of several inter-related families, adults and children, from 1895 through World War I. Loosely based upon the life of children's writer E. Nesbit[1] there are secrets slowly revealed that show that the families are much more creatively formed than first guessed. It was shortlisted for the 2009 Man Booker Prize.[1]

The Wellwood family (Olive, Humphrey, Olive's sister Violet, and many children) are Fabians, living in a world of artists, writers, craftsman, all moving into new ways to express art, and living an artful life, before the horrors and loss of the Great War. While the central character of Olive is a writer of children's literature, supporting her large family with her writing, the title of the book refers to the children in the book: Tom, Julian, Philip, Elsie, Dorothy, Hedda, Griselda, Florence, Charles/Karl, Phyllis and others, following each as they approach adulthood and the terrors of war.[2]

In an interview with The Guardian Byatt says: "I started with the idea that writing children's books isn't good for the writers' own children. There are some dreadful stories. Christopher Robin at least lived. Kenneth Grahame's son put himself across a railway line and waited for the train. Then there's JM Barrie. One of the boys that Barrie adopted almost certainly drowned himself. This struck me as something that needed investigating. And the second thing was, I was interested in the structure of E Nesbit's family — how they all seemed to be Fabians and fairy-story writers." The book has so many fictional and historical characters that Byatt had to create a spreadsheet in Excel to keep track of them all.[3]

Contents

Olive Wellwood, wife of Humphrey, mother of Tom, and many other children, a writer of children's books, mostly fairy stories. Born in very humble circumstances, her income supports the family in their large house named Todefright. She is an expert in British Fairy Lore.

Julian Cain, son of Major Prosper Cain and a student at Eton and Cambridge

Florence Cain, his daughter, who ends up in Italy and becomes close with Gabriel Goldwasser.

At Purchase House in Dungeness:

Benedict Fludd, an eccentric artist and master potter whose work is collected.

Seraphita (Sarah-Jane) Fludd, his wife who does embroidery and little else.

Geraint Fludd, their son, who is interested in business.

Imogen Fludd, their daughter, who is rescued by Prosper Cain.

Pomona Fludd, their daughter, who sleepwalks.

Philip Warren, a runaway from the factories who becomes an apprentice to Benedict Fludd. He is first seen sketching the Gloucester candlestick.

Elsie Warren, who finds Phillip after their mother dies and then keeps house for the Fludds.

Ann, Elsie's daughter

Neighbors in Kent: "Their guests were socialist, anarchists, Quakers, Fabians, artists, editors, freethinkers, and writers who lived, either all time, or at weekends and on holidays in converted cottages and old farmhouses, Arts and Crafts homes and workingmen's terraces, in the villages, woods and meadows around the Kentish Weald and the North and South Downs."[4]

Vasily Tartarinov, a Russian anarchist and refugee.

Elena, his wife. Andrei and Dmitri, their sons.

Leslie and Etta Skinner, Fabians and scholars.

Arthur Dobbin, not a good apprentice to Benedict Fludd, but perhaps better as a promoter of the arts.

Frank Mallet, local pastor

Augustus Steyning, a theater director and sometime playwright

Patty Dace, on many committees, helpful to women in need.

Herbert Methley, a man who lectures about the "sex problem," seduces women, and write books that are banned

Phoebe Methley, not really Herbert's wife.

Marion Oakeshott, a "widow", local school teacher, and close friend of Humphrey Wellwood.

Robin Oakeshott, Marion's son, who looks very much like Robin Wellwood.

The Germans:

Anselm Stern, a master of puppetry and marionettes, who once knew Olive Wellwood long ago in Munich.

Angela Stern, his wife.

Wolfgang Stern, their oldest son, expert at stagecraft.

Leon Stern, the quieter younger son.

The Tutors:

Toby Youlgreave, an old friend of both Humphrey and Olive, he teaches the older boys, preparing to enter school.